JFPenn

A luxury tall ship. A stolen mer-saint. The sea always takes back what is hers. Marine archaeologist Eve Calder has one chance to make her career. She's helped steal the find of a lifetime: the preserved skeleton of a non-human "saint" entombed in a hidden cave on a South Pacific seamount. Now the bones lie sealed in a pressure-controlled case in the hold of the SV Southern Crosswind, a historic t...

A week alone in Iceland's most isolated church. A grief too heavy to carry. An ancient darkness stirring beneath. Pastor David Thornwell has lost his wife, his faith, and any reason to keep preaching. When he's offered a week-long silent retreat at the Black Church of Búðir — a tar-blackened chapel on Iceland's remote Snæfellsnes Peninsula — he accepts, hoping the vast silence of winter will eithe...

Walker Kane didn’t believe in monsters ... Until they took his daughter. Beneath the streets of Edinburgh, an ancient evil waits. Each year, the Grendsluagh—a prehistoric monster of insatiable hunger—demands a human sacrifice in exchange for the city’s continued prosperity. A secret society known only as the Cabal has overseen this sinister ritual for centuries, binding Edinburgh to a grim legacy...

The perfect wine requires the darkest sacrifice. In the rolling hills of Somerset, England, an ancient evil ripens alongside the grapes of Standing Stone Cellars… Chapter 6 of Blood Vintage, A Folk Horror Novel. Written by J.F. Penn, Narrated by the digital voice of J.F. Penn, created with ElevenLabs. Rebecca never expected her architecture career to lead to the secluded rural village of Winbridge...

Introduction to the audiobook, Successful Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition. Written and narrated by Joanna Penn. Want to self-publish your book but don't know where to start? Worried it's too complex or you don't have the right skills? This updated and expanded Fourth edition of Successful Self-Publishing provides everything you need to successfully self-publish your book in ebook, print, and audio...

A merciless desert. An unstoppable storm. Time is running out. The Desert Sanctuary promises an exclusive escape for the ultra-wealthy, a five-star oasis in Death Valley's unforgiving landscape. But when a devastating sandstorm cuts the resort off from civilization, paradise becomes a prison—and then a killing ground. As the storm rages and the resort burns, eight lives collide in a desperate batt...

Writing a book is hard work. You need a reason to carry you through the tough times. Why do you care about this subject so much that you want to invest the time, emotional energy, and maybe money in order to write it?
What will keep you going through the process of writing, publishing, and marketing?
What is your why?
 Here are some reasons people write non-fiction books. Excerpt from How to Write...

What was drowned will be drowned again… Marine archaeologist Dr. Evelyn Price has spent her life uncovering the mysteries of the deep ocean. But when a violent storm uncovers an ancient timber circle off the coast of England, she faces a discovery that will challenge everything she knows. As the tide rises and storm clouds gather, Evelyn and her team race against time to decipher the strange symbo...

Prologue of Spear of Destiny, written by J.F. Penn, narrated by Veronica Giguere. Available at https://www.jfpenn.com/destiny A desperate quest. A holy relic. A race against time. When a mysterious relic is stolen from a museum in Vienna, ARKANE agents Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber embark on a deadly race against time to recover the legendary Spear of Destiny — the holy lance that pierced the side...

Some secrets should stay buried. When renowned architect Arania Webb returns to Bristol Zoo — once her childhood sanctuary but now a derelict ruin — she discovers her late father’s hidden underground lab, which harbours a dark obsession. Inside, she uncovers his journals documenting twisted experiments to fuse arachnid DNA with humans, creating unnatural creatures that blur the line between specie...

On the winter solstice, an ancient evil demands its due in the heart of Bath. When down-on-his-luck busker Evan takes to the streets of Bath during the Christmas market, he hopes his music will earn him enough for a warm meal and bed for the night. But after a violent robbery leaves him broken and destitute, Evan unwittingly awakens an ancient evil that demands blood sacrifice in return for vengea...

Introduction of Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words, written and narrated by Joanna Penn www. TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook We all long to write boldly, without filters or fear. To spin stories that capture the messy beauty of what it means to be human. Tales that lay bare the truth of living — darkness and all. But something holds us back. Whispers of “Who do you think you ar...

How far would you go to see again? Sample from my short story audiobook, written and read by J.F. Penn. Conflict photographer, Sara Miles, loves being embedded with the military out in the desert. Her pictures pay tribute to those who fight, suffer, and die for freedom and the images she captures can turn public perception in the never-ending war. Her photography matters. But when Sara is caught i...

Sample chapter from Pilgrimage: Lessons learned from solo walking three ancient ways, written and narrated by J.F. Penn Pilgrimage attracts the seekers. Those with a question to answer, a problem to solve, a sin to atone for, an illness to be cured, a prayer to be answered. Pilgrims walk with a desire to make a change, to mark a boundary from one life to another, to heal, to escape. I needed all o...

Prologue of Tomb of Relics, ARKANE Thriller book 12. A supernatural relic. A thousand-year-old conspiracy. A madman who turns death into art. It's all in a day's work for the agents of ARKANE. When a priceless relic disappears from Canterbury Cathedral, ARKANE – the agency tasked with protecting the world from supernatural adversaries – fears the worst… and sends its best. Now, ARKANE agents Morga...

Great cathedrals are places of awe and wonder, no matter your religious belief. Whenever I visit a new place, I always go to the cathedral or church, or place of worship in the area. There is always something new and interesting to be found and you can get a particular sense of a region that way. I also love to take photos of religious architecture and sculpture, much of it crafted by devotion ove...

There is a problem inherent in travel, especially in a world of filtered Instagram photos, social media bubbles and glossy travel magazines. There are some places in the world that are so famous it can be difficult to know whether they live up to the hype or not. There is the myth and then there is the reality, so how do you manage the two? How do you decide to go in the first place in case it doe...

Andalucia brings to mind balmy evenings with the scent of oranges in the air, the sounds of flamenco guitar, and the exotic architecture of the Moorish Alhambra. In this podcast interview, I talk to David Penny, author of The Thomas Berrington Historical Mysteries, which are set in medieval Spain. Transcript and images at: https://www.booksandtravel.page/granada-cordoba-andalusia-david-penny/

Find the Books and Travel Podcast on your favorite podcast app, or the backlist here: https://www.booksandtravel.page/listen/ Some call it wanderlust, an almost uncontrollable desire to travel, sometimes at the expense of common-sense. Others call it ‘fernweh,’ a German word meaning far-sickness, the opposite of homesickness. I also like Jack Reacher’s explanation in Lee Child’s thriller, Never Go...

Episode 2 of the Books and Travel Podcast https://www.booksandtravel.page/ireland-orna-ross/ Orna Ross is an Irish novelist, a poet, non-fiction writer, and creative coach. Today, we’re talking about how Ireland features in her writing. Writing about a country you’re from vs. writing as an outsider Why Orna writes about Ireland Common misconceptions about the country Writing from memories of a chi...

Hello Travellers, I’m Jo Frances Penn and this is episode 1 of my new Books and Travel Podcast. https://www.booksandtravel.page/listen/ As I begin this journey of sharing my travels, I wanted to start with three trips that have shaped my life. They may not be the highlights of my travels over the years, but they changed my view of the world. My life would have looked a whole lot different without...

A sunken city. A lost goddess. One final dive to risk it all. Lara is part of a dive team exploring the sunken city of Thonis-Heraklion off the north coast of Egypt. When a storm threatens the site, there's only time for one last dive and Lara is determined to be on it – even if it means diving with the man who threatened her this summer. Because The Dark Queen is down there and Lara intends to fi...

When the mutilated corpse of a wealthy author is discovered, the police officer sent to investigate finds a curious diary amongst the occult objects at the scene. Will he uncover the author's secret at the ruined chapel, and is he willing to pay the price that it demands? One of three short stories inspired by Dante's Inferno, linked by a book of human skin passed down through generations. ** Writ...

Sample chapter from End of Days, An ARKANE Thriller book 9. “When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.” Revelation 20:7 The thousand years are ended. From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, J.F.Penn. A marble tablet found in the ruins of Babylon warns of the resurrection of a banished serpent in the final days. A sarcophagus is discovered in the deepest...

Prologue of Destroyer of Worlds, ARKANE Thriller Book 8. Written by J.F.Penn. Narrated by Veronica Giguere. A bomb explodes in the center of London and a fragment of an ancient Hindu sculpture is stolen from the ARKANE Headquarters by a secret organization bent on mass murder. If the sculpture is put together again, it will reveal the key to the Brahmastra, a weapon with the power of a nuclear exp...